Prior to House floor consideration of legislation, a rule drafted by the House Rules Committee-which is in effect an arm of the majority party leadership-must be adopted to set parameters on debate. On this vote, GOP leaders sought passage of a rule governing debate on a bill which would allow small businesses to consolidate their resources before purchasing socalled "association" health insurance plans for their employees. Progressives voted against the rule based on their objection to a provision in the underlying legislation which would exempt association plans from state laws. Progressives argued that association plans should follow state laws because many state laws protect individuals by requiring that health insurance companies provide coverage for specific diseases or conditions such as breast cancer, autism, and mental illness. In the view of Progressives, exempting association plans from state laws would enable employers to provide health plans to their employees which may contain gaping holes in coverage for diseases, accidents, and other health-related problems. Furthermore, Progressives were concerned that exempting association plans from state law would provide employers with a financial incentive to switch from more comprehensive health plans that provide coverage for a wide range of diseases and health conditions to less-expensive health plans that do not provide workers with the same level of coverage as did their previous health insurance policy. Despite opposition from Progressives, the rule governing debate on the measure was adopted by a 224-199 vote margin.